Rotatable drawer cabinet



Jan. 29, 196 3 n H. HUMPH RE Y 3,075,320

ROTATABLE DRAWER CABINET Filed March 28, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A 7'7'ORNEYS.

Jan. 29, 1963 D. H. HUMPHREY 3,075,820

ROTATABLE DRAWER CABINET Filed Mai-ch 2s, 19so s Sheets-Sheet 2 INI/E N TOR ATTORNEYS.

3,675,829 RGTATABLE DRAWER CABINET David H. Humphrey, R0. Box 1176,

San, Jinan, Puerto Rico Filed Mar. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 17,997 7 Claims. (Cl. 312-325) This invention relates to an improved cabinet construction comprisirn a plurality of drawers and a counter top adapted for use in homes, offices, hospitals, laboratories and the like to provide storage and work space.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a cabinet construction wherein the drawers which furnish the storage space are so finished and arranged as to form the exterior surface of the cabinet. In other words, the frame and enclosure which, in the conventional cabinet construction, comprise the housing and support for the rawers are completely eliminated; but the cabinet gives the appearance of one having sides, back, bottom and so forth.

Other objects of my invention are to provide a cabinet construction which is simple and economical to build and assemble by reason of the very few parts required; which can be assembled from knocked down condition using simple tools in a short time; and in which the drawers are modular to permit assembly in a variety of combinations to suit individual needs.

In a preferred form of the invention the drawers which comprise the cabinet are segments of a cylinder having a circumferential side wall and one or more radial side walls to form the complete lateral enclosure. In cross section the drawers correspond roughly to a quarter circle, a half circle and three-fourths of a circle. The drawers are mounted for rotation on a shaft which extends through a bearing secured to said radial wall or walls. The height of the drawers is modular, that is, the larger drawers are two, three, four or more times the height of the smallest drawer and, consequently, permits a variety of arrangements according to need. The shafts are supported directly by the floor and are held erect at the top either by a counter top placed over the drawers or by braces secured to the wall. No external frame work is required.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cabinet of this kind in which the entire interior of a drawer is accessible without removing the drawer from its support.

These and other objects of my invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a complete cabinet constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURES 2 through 4 are perspective views of the several drawer constructions employed in assembling a cabinet like the one shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged plan view of a typical corner construction of a drawer, showing the manner in which the circular wall and the radial wall are joined by means of an extruded metal connector;

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view of a drawer divider, partly broken away, to show how the bottom and circumferential side wall (in cross section) are secured thereto;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged plan view of the corner construction of the quarter circular drawer of FIGURE 2, illustrating how the ends of the radial walls are secured together by the bearing member;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 showing a portion of the half circular drawer of FIGURE 3 and means for securing the divider and bearing member to the radial wall;

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 showing a portion of the three-quarters circular drawer of FIGURE 4 including the joint between the inner ends of the radial walls and the bearing member;

Unite States Patent 0 FIGURE 10 is a plan view of a plate adapted to be secured to the underside of a counter top to anchor the top of the supporting shaft;

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view through a cabinet showing the manner in which the drawers are mounted on the shaft;

FIGURE 12 is a plan view of the cam means and coopcrating finger for positioning the drawer in closed position; and

FIGURES 13 through 16 are plan views of various brace constructions for anchoring the top or bottom or any intermediate part of the shaft to the wall.

The angular cabinet construction shown in FIGURE 1 is assembled from four stacks of drawers mounted for rotation about four different shafts indicated by the numeral 16. Drawers 10a, 10b and llic are of the construction shown in FIGURE 2, designated generally by the numeral 10, and comprise in cross section a quarter circle. These drawers differ from each other only in their height. Drawer 16a is the smallest, drawer ltlb is twice as high as drawer 16a and drawer file is four times as high as drawer lilo. The quarter drawers are used for the outside corners of thejcabinets at the far left of FIGURE 1. Duplicatedrawers 10b and 10c are mounted on the shaft 16 to the far right of FIGURE 1 to form the second outside corner of the cabinet. Since the cabinet of FIGURE 1 is intended to be used in the corner of a room, the drawer comprising three-fourths of a circle, as shown in FIGURE 4 and identified by the numeral 12,, is used to form the right angular inside corner at the center of the cabinet. Here again the drawers 12a, 12b and 12c differ from each other only in height. The drawers 14 comprising a half circle and having a straight radial (diametrical) wall are disposed between the angle drawers 12 and the corner drawers 10b and 100. These drawers are designated by the numerals 14a and 14b and are mounted for rotation on the central shaft between the one at the inside corner and the one at the far right in FIGURE 1. The drawers comprising the cabinet are covered with a suitable counter top 18 having a vertical panel 19 lying flush against the wall. The counter top may be made of wood, reinforced plastics or the like, and preferably has an exterior finish that matches that of the drawers. The lower ends of the shafts 16 are supported by the floor and the upper ends thereof are connected to the underside of the counter top 13 as will be explained hereinafter. The upper ends of the shafts 16 are secured to the wall indirectly by fixing the counter top thereto or directly by separate braces. It will be noted that the cabinet has the smooth, pleasing external surface of a conventional cabinet but without any frame or cover.

The construction of the drawers comprising the cabi--- net is best shown in FIGURES 2 through 4. Each of the drawers comprises a circumferential side wall, like wall 20 of FIGURE 2, made from wood, reinforced plastic, or composition material which is relatively thin and easily shaped to accurate form. The thicker radial walls 22 and 24 comprise the normally exposed surface of the cabinet. The outer ends of the radial side walls 22 and 24 are joined to the ends of the circumferential side walls 20 by means of extruded connectors 26, made of aluminum, brass or other suitable material. The connectors 26 have channels 28 and 39 extending at approximtaely right angles to each other, as best illustrated in FIGURE 5. Channel 28 is relatively thin and is adapted to receive the circumferential side wall 20. A rib 29 projects from the inner surface of the channel 23 to provide a good grip on the margin of the side wall 20 which may be grooved to receive the rib. The channel 39 is adapted .to receive the end of the radial side wall 24. This channel has an inturned flange 32 which, like the rib 29, is useful in fixing the margin of the radial panel solidly in the channel. The extrusion 26 also includes a gracefully curved flange 34 which serves as a handle for rotating the drawers about the shaft 16.

The radial wall consists of a core 25 made from relatively thick cellulosic board, plywood or the like which is covered on the outside surface with a decorative plastic laminate 23. The plastic laminate may consist of a design printed on paper and impregnated with thermosetting resin or it may be a sheet of natural wood veneer impregnated with resin. Usually the laminate consists of several sheets of porous paper backing up the decorative sheet on the exterior, all integrally bonded with a thermosetting resin. In any event, the decorative faces 23 are in turn integrally bonded to the core 25 to form a unitary piece. The pressed board 20 comprising the circumferential wall is likewise faced with a decorative coat ing of this type. It will be understood that although the plastic surfacing is preferred, the side walls may be finished in lacquer or any other desirable finish. I prefer, however, to finish both the inside and the outside of the side walls so that the drawer has a finished appearance when it is opened. The bottom 21 of the drawer is made of wood, Masonite, or similar cellulosic pressed board, and may or may not be finished.

Referring to FIGURE 7, the inner ends of the radial panels 22, 24 are secured together in the case of the quarter circular drawer 10 by means of a suitably shaped block 36. Screws 38 go through the walls 22 and 24 into the block 36 before the decorative surfacing 23 is applied to the face of the wall 24 so that the heads are covered. A decorative coating exactly the same as the surfacing 23 is applied to both sides of the block 36.

The bearing member 50 is adapted to embrace the shaft 16 about which the drawer rotates. It has a pair of flanges on either side, the pair '58 and 60 being adapted to embrace a drawer divider in the construction shown in FIG- URE 3 and the flanges S2 and 54 adapted to be secured to the inner ends of the radial walls. In the quarter circular drawer construction of FIGURE 2 there is no divider so a block 59 is placed between the flanges 58 and 60 and the flanges are drawn together by means of a bolt 62. Likewise, since the flanges 52 and 54 are not required to bolt the radial walls 22 and 24 together, they are not used for this purpose. It will be understood, however, that the bearing member is constructed in this manner so that it is useful for any of the three drawer constructions by modifying it very little. To make the bearing member 16' adaptable to the drawer shown in FIGURE 2 I have cut off the end of the flange 54 and provided a recess 40 in the face of the block 36 to receive the cut off flange. The other flange 52 lies flush against the face of the block and is secured thereto by means of screws 53. The bearing is centered at a point midway between the outer ends of the radial panels and spaced rearwardly from the center of the circle defined by the circumferential wall. An opening 55 is provided in the bottom of the drawer concentric with the shaft 16 and the opening 56 in the bearing. Flanged nylon bushings 64, 67 are interposed between bearing 50 and the shaft 16 to facilitate movement of the drawers about the shaft. This is best shown in FIGURE ll.

The application of the bearing to the form of drawer shown in FIGURE 3 is best illustrated in FIGURE 8. The bearing 50 is secured to a block 68 which in turn is secured to the radial side wall 72 of the drawer 14 by means of screws 70. The screws 70, extending through flanges 52 and 54, also secure the bearing to the block 68. The parallel flangesextending from the other side of the bearing, namely, flanges 60 and 62, are adapted to embrace the margin of the end of the divider 66 which separates the drawer into two halves. The end of the divider 66 is reduced in thickness and slotted to accomm odate the flange 58 and the inturned edge 59 thereof.

4 The bolts 62 fix the divider securely to the bearing member 56.

The other end of the divider 66 and the bottom of the divider are secured to the rear circumferential wall 63 and the bottom 74 by means of the bolt and nut construction illustrated in FEGURE 6. Round holes 75 are drilled laterally through the divider 66 to receive round nuts 76 which are tapped diametrically to receive a threaded bolt 78. The bolt 78 extends upwardly through the bottom 74, through a bore in the divider 66, and screws into the tapped opening in the nut 76. A similar construction is used for securing the rear circumferential wall 63 to the divider. Drawer 14 utilizes extruded connectors 26 for fixing the circumferential rear wall 63 to the radial wall 72. This construction is identical to that described in connection with FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the drawer which comprises three-quarters of a circle and has two dividers instead of the one used in drawer 14. The inner ends of the radial walls 78, 80 are mitered to form a right angle corner which is reinforced by means of a triangular block 82 screwed to the ends of the Walls 78 and 80. The external surface of the block 82 is finished with a suitable decorative covering 23 identical to that used in the construe tion of the other drawers described heretofore, so that it matches other external surfaces. Slots 83 and 85 are provided in the inner face of the radial walls 80 and 78 to receive the ends of the divider members 84 and 86. The standard bearing member 50' previously described fits over the corner and the flanges 52 and 54 are screwed to the joint by means of the screws 88. As in the construction of the drawer 10, the flanges 58 and 60 on the opposite side of the bearing '50 are not useful. They are, therefore, tightened against a spacer 59. The dividers 84 and 86 are secured to the bottom of the drawer 12 and to the circumferential wall in the same manner as the divider is secured to the corresponding parts of the drawer 14 which has previously been described in connection with FIGURES 3 and 6.

To arrest rotation of the drawers at a closed" or home position and to support the weight of the drawers, I have provided a split-ring clamp or yoke 90' having a cam surface formed by a pair of nylon rollers 92 projecting from one side thereof. The clamp 90 is adapted to embrace the shaft 16 by tightening a bolt 91 for drawing the split halves together. This secures the clamp to the shaft and positions the cam. Two nuts are screwed onto the end of the bolt 91 to lock it. A stamping 94 on either face of the clamp serves as a mounting support for the rollers 92. The stampings are welded to a swivel nut 95 disposed between the legs of the clamp 90. By turning the bolt 91, the nut 95 moves between the legs to adjust the location of the rollers. This construction is shown in FIGURE 12.

The clamp 90 is secured to the shaft opposite the portion of the radial wall of the drawer projecting below the bottom thereof, as best illustrated in FIGURE 11. Cooperating with the cam surface formed by the nylon rollers 92 is a springy finger 102 having a curved projection 103 formed therein which is adapted to slide into the depression between the rollers 92. The spring metal finger 1&2 terminates in a flat flange 105 which is screwed to the inner face of the radial wall 72 by means of screws 1.04. The lower edge of the wall 72 is cut out as indicated at 73 in FIGURE 11 to receive the spring metal finger 102. By recessing the complementary stop means below the drawer bottom, the individual drawers may be mounted adjacent each other with very little space be tween the front panels thereof. Thus, the outer surfaces of the drawers cooperate to provide a continuous surface which supplants the normal shell or cabinet in which drawers are conventionally mounted. The springy finger 102 is mounted at a point on the wall 72 effective to arrest rotation of the drawer when the wall 72 is flush with the front of the cabinet. If necessary, the location of the cam surface may be adjusted with respect to the finger by turning bolt 91 as indicated. When the drawer is opened, the projection 1413 on the spring 102 is released from the depression between rollers 92 to permit rotating the drawer through an angle of 360. Thus, the entire interior of the drawer is available for inspection and at the same time the space on the floor below the drawers is available for cleaning. This is especially important in laboratories and hospitals where the cleanliness is of utmost importance.

The weight of each drawer is supported on the clamp member 90. To reduce friction to a minimum I have provided a pair of washers 106, 107 disposed between the nylon flange 67 and the clamp member 90. The washer 196 is made from polished metal and the washer 107 is preferably made from nylon, Teflon or other plastic material especially suited for bearings which do not require lubricatiom Each drawer is mounted in identical fashion and is supported by a clamp 96.

The lower end of the shaft 16 is of reduced diameter as indicated at 17 and is adapted to carry a circular nut 119 which screws on the threaded end 17. Any number of washers 112 may be interposed between the shoulder on the shaft and the nut 110 to make adjustments for unevenness of the floor and the like. If desired, the end 17 may be disposed in an opening provided therefor in the surface of the floor 114, as best shown in FIGURE 11. A decorative sleeve 116 may be provided to slide over the end of the shaft 16 and cover the nuts 116 and cooperating washers 112. This sleeve may be made from stainless steel, chromium plated steel, aluminum, plastic or other suitable material. It will be noted that a space has been provided above the upper end of the sleeve 116 and beneath the lowermost clamp 90 to permit sliding the sleeve upwardly on the shaft 16 to make the nut 110 accessible.

To support the upper end of the shaft 16 a plate 120 may be secured by four screws to the underside of the counter top 18 as best shown in FIGURE 11. The plate itself is illustrated in FIGURE 10. A keyhole opening 122, 124 extends through the plate, the round portion 124 embracing the end of the shaft 16. A bolt 125 screws into the threaded end 127 of bore 129 to permit drawing together the legs on either side of slot 122. Thus, the end of the shaft is firmly clamped to the underside of the counter top 18. It will be appreciated that since the shafts 16, mounted at the front of the cabinet, provide the only support for the cabinet, provision must be made to permit them to bear laterally against the cooperating wall of the room. so that the cabinet stands erectly. Consequently, if the counter top 18 is secured to the wall in any convenient manner, the shafts 16 will be maintained in rigid upright position to provide sturdy support for the cabinet.

In certain instances it may be desirable to provide additional support for the upper ends of the shafts 16. This may be done conveniently by using braces of the type shown in FIGURES 13 through 16. These braces may be located behind the skirt 19 comprising the front of the counter top 18 as shown in FIGURE 11. The braces shown in FIGURES 13, 15 and 16 each comprise two interconnected arms 13% 132 so that they are adjustable in length. The arm 130 has a multiplicity of longitudinally spaced openings 131 adapted to receive bolts 133 which secure the extension arm 132 to the arm 130. The outer end of the extension 132 has an opening 134 for pivotal connection to a block 136 which in turn is secured to the wall 140. The inner end of the arm 13% has an opening for embracing the shaft 16 in such manner that the arm may pivot about the shaft for connection at a variety of points along the wall. It is desirable, of course, that these braces not be visible and, consequently, they may be arranged differently depending upon the configuration of the drawer which is mounted on the particular shaft being supported by the braces. The arrangement shown in FIGURE 13 is suitable for a straight drawer 14, the braces extending on either side of the divider 66 when the drawer is in closed position. The braces may be arranged at right angles to each other as shown in FIGURE 16 where the drawer mounted on the shaft is a corner drawer 11 disposed next to a corner in the room. If the corner drawer is completely exposed, front and side, the arrangement of braces shown in FIG- URE 15 is used.

Where the end drawer is mounted adjacent a wall I may use the alternative type of brace shown in FIGURE 14. A very short arm of fixed length is anchored to the wall by means of a block 147 and a second arm 142 of variable length is secured to the wall at a point spaced from block 147 by means of a second block 144. The inner ends of the arms 146 and 142 have openings therethrough to receive the shaft 16, and pivot about the shaft. Holes 143 are longitudinally spaced along the arm 142 to permit adjusting its length. This is accomplished by putting the pin 148, which cooperates with the block 144, in any one of the openings 143.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the cabinet construction of the invention provides maximum storage area within easy reach and view. The drawers may be of various sizes and can be arranged to suit the use-r. All of the cabinet and drawer surfaces are accessible for cleaning and there are no hidden areas of the floor or walls which cannot be cleaned. It will be further appreciated that the modular and knocked down features of the system reduce handling and inventory costs during manufacturing, distribution and installation. Using only a few basic drawer structures, many different sizes and shaped cabinets may be assembled on the job from knocked down parts. The drawer units can be removed with simple tools and Without damage. They can be packed for shipment with minimum space requirements and may be reinstalled as new in a different location.

The inner and outer plastic surfacing on the side Walls of the drawers provides a pleasing and durable appearance and can be made available in a large number of colors, patterns and grains.

Other modifications in the basic structure disclosed will occur to those skilled in the art. It is my intention, therefore, to include any such modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A cabinet adapted for use contiguous a wall comprising a vertically disposed shaft having its lower end supported by the floor, means for securing the upper end of said shaft to said wall to hold said shaft erect, a plurality of drawers having outer circumferential Walls concentric with said shaft and radial wa'ls forming the flat front of said cabinet when the drawers are in closed position, said drawers being mounted for rotation about said shaft by means of a bearing secured to said radial wall, a support member for said bearing fixed to said shaft and having a cam surface, and means projecting from the inside of said radial wall cooperative with said cam surface to posit'on said drawers in closed position.

2. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein said shaft has threaded adjustment means on said lower end for extending said shaft to rigidly connect said shaft in engagement with a horizontal support and an axially-movable sleeve enclosing said lower end including said adjustment means.

3. The cabinet of claim 1 wherein said support member comprises a clamp adapted to be tightened on said shaft, said clamp having a projection extending radially therefrom which constitutes said cam surface, and said means cooperative with said cam surface is a resilient finger having a depression therein which complements said projection on said clamp.

4. The cabinet of claim 1 in which said drawers have bottoms disposed above the lower edge of said radial walls a distance approximately equal to the thickness of 7 said support member whereby said radial walls of adjacent drawers are only slightly spaced to provide a continuous appearance.

5. The cabinet of claim 4 wherein said means cooperative with said cam surface is secured to the portion of said radial wall disposed below said drawer bottom.

6. A cabinet adapted for use contiguous a wall comprising-a vertically disposed shaft having its lower end supported by the floor, means for securing the upper end of said shaft to said wall to hold said shaft erect, a plurality of drawers having outer circumferential walls concentric with said shaft and radial walls forming the flat front of said cabinet when the drawers are in closed position, said drawers being mounted for rotation about said shaft by means of a bearing secured to said radial wall, a support member for said bearing fixed to said shaft and having a cam surface, anda resilient finger projecting from the inside of said radial wall cooperative with said cam surface to position said drawers in closed position.

7. A cabinet adapted for use contiguous a wall comprising a vertically-disposed shaft having its lower end supported by the floor, a counter top for said cabinet having a socket in the underside thereof to receive the upper end of said shaft, said top being secured to said wall, a plurality of drawers having outer circumferential walls concentric with said shaft and radial walls which together form the entire vertical exterior surfaces of the cabinet, said drawers being mounted for rotation about said shaft by means of a bearing secured to said radial walland spaced rearwardly therefrom to set said shaft behind the face of said radial walls, a support member for said bearing fixed to said shaft and having a cam surface, and means projecting from the inside of said rad'al wall cooperative with said cam surface to position said drawers in closed position.

References Cited in the file of .this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 258,765 Kearns May30, 1882 593,636 Bamberger Nov. 16, 1897 2,239,734 Pratt Apr. 29, 1941 2,698,776 Stoeckl Jan. 4, 1955 2,831,737 Jacoby Apr. 22, 1958 2,857,232 Manne Oct. 21, 1958 2,949,984 Daniels Aug. 23, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 634,104 Great Britain Mar. 15, 1950 805,546 Germany t May 21, 1951 1,113,799 France Dec. 12, 1955 

1. A CABINET ADAPTED FOR USE CONTIGUOUS A WALL COMPRISING A VERTICALLY DISPOSED SHAFT HAVING ITS LOWER END SUPPORTED BY THE FLOOR, MEANS FOR SECURING THE UPPER END OF SAID SHAFT TO SAID WALL TO HOLD SAID SHAFT ERECT, A PLURALITY OF DRAWERS HAVING OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALLS CONCENTRIC WITH SAID SHAFT AND RADIAL WALLS FORMING THE FLAT FRONT OF SAID CABINET WHEN THE DRAWERS ARE IN CLOSED POSITION, SAID DRAWERS BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT SAID SHAFT BY MEANS OF A BEARING SECURED TO SAID RADIAL WALL, A SUPPORT MEMBER FOR SAID BEARING FIXED TO SAID SHAFT AND HAVING A CAM SURFACE, AND MEANS PROJECTING FROM THE INSIDE OF SAID RADIAL WALL COOPERATIVE WITH SAID CAM SURFACE TO POSITION SAID DRAWERS IN CLOSED POSITION. 